Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-11-05

ruin
The ordinary drunkard refreshes him
self in The morning with tea. Nothing
refreshed me, because I could taste MOTH
Ing, and because my sufferin8s sprang
from a different source, though they were
the same in kind. had to bear them as
best l might.
1 remembered the command which Mr..
-Mr.-strange, I had forgotten his name
a~gain-gave me, to walk twenty miles
after Il ''heavy night" started to obey
him.
Outside London, beyond Islington,
where there are now rows of houses, but
were then fields, I saw a little modest
cottage, standing alone in its garden. 1t
was a cottage with. four rooms only,
covered over with crecpers. On the board
standing at the gate was the announce
ment that it was to let. A thought struck
me. Here could Ike seclusion, at any rate.
Here l could shut myself up every night,
and await in comparative safety the
dreadful punishment fast becoming
heavier than l could bear-which my tor
mentor inflicted upon me. Why should l
not take the cottage, pay tho rent In nd
vance every month-forh how many months
should I have to pay itf-and so wait in
phIIcuSo 0uu GUe dppEOACu OIL
my inevitable fate?
I made inquiries at once, and secured
the place at a merely nominal rent. Then
l moved in a little furniture, bought Sec
ond hand in Ellington High street, and
became the occupant, o lonely hermit, Of
the house. There were no houses within
hearing, in case l should storm and rage
in my drunken madness at night. The
oOffaua ofooH rovrpvo1 fro,, TIM mod orJ
no callers were likely to trouble me.
Within those; walls L should he secure
from SOME dangers at least. Here, night
after night, I could await the attacks Of
surfeit. and intoxication which regularly
came; for my muster knew no pity.
On the first evening l sat down at half
past 9 to prepare for, what was coming.
The day vas drawing inland a cold twi-
light-the 1nonth5was Aftseh-covered the
trees and flttle garden, az |
opened the door and lpkedput.
Before me stool thenekfe. SIS Z,
My spirit was quite broken, aud l could
only RrDAness 80 sag; tMtsA X.
"Doycu went NE ,tog 30 vjbtyddu a4Afns4''.
l asked, thinking ct the last entertainment
at which l provided amusement for his
master. 7s-l-s$a sassssss ~ ~
''Msssa say him berry 9lid you come
hyar. You walk the twenty mile ebbery
day, else mass know the reason why.
How YOU feel, Massa Lucraft:: Heigh!
heigh! cluck. Dat most fortunate day
for you when you sign dat little paper
He delivered his message and disap-
peared in the darkness. | heard his foot
steps cru0ching the gravel in the road,
and 1 longed, only ow I had no courage
or spirit left, to seize him and tear him
limb from limb.
Then l shut myself in, lit one candle
and sat over the fire. I thought Of the
scenes by which my ~extravagant fancy
had been excited; the garden full of lively
~girls-what were girls to ne now The
country walks I was TO have with Juliet
where was my passion for Juliet now?
The case and happiness, the lightness and
innocence Of the life before me, drawn by
al arch deceiver, compared with my pres
ent, my actual misery, sitting alone, cut
off from mankind, the slave and victim Of
a secret profigate and glutton, doomed to
die slowly, unless it should please the
murderer to kill me of quickly. ls
And then, because the. first symptoms
Of the attack were coming on, I went to
bed and stayed there.
So be.-u my new Lie. 4 wretched Life
it was. There was no occupation possible
for memo amusement. I walked every
day, in fair weather or foul, q measured
twenty miles.
This in some degree restored vitality to
my system. l never read; I took no in.
terest In any politics. I sat BY myself
and brooded.
AS for meals, I bought them ready pre-
pared. They consisted almost wholly OF
bread and cold mutton. You may judge
of the absolutely tasteless condition to
which I was reduced when I write calmly
and truthfully that cold boiled mutton was
as agreeable to me as any other form Of
food. found, after repeated trials, that
mutton forms the best fuel-it is better
than either beef or portland keeps the
human engine at work for the longest
time. So l had mutton. AS 1 discovered
also that bulk was necessary, and that
only q certain amount Of animal food was
wanted, l used to have cold potatoes
always ready. Istoked twice a day, at
II in the morning and about 8 in the
afternoon. Thus fortified. l got through